A pleasant surprise

So I had always planned on being a little bigger with each child and that's just the way it is. I meant to exercise as soon as I could after Carson was born and did for about a month or so but it didn't stick. I've never been very dedicated in that field. For the first 5 months or so I fluctuated up 5 pounds, down 5 pounds but nothing major. 8 months after birth....

I weigh less than when I got pregnant. WHAT??? How does that even happen. Oh and I have finally put on all my old pants...every last one. Even the "I'm going to fit in these some day" jeans, ya know your skinny jeans; the ones from sophmore year of high school. And every single pair fits. Well that's a lie. My most recent jeans (pre-pregnancy) are too big. My husband reminds me every time I put them on.

A pleasant surprise indeed

must be that nursing thing

Eight Months

Happy 8 months Carson

It has been a big month for our little boy. He has reached some huge milestones and learned a ton of new tricks. I hope I can list them all.

• he loves to eat Honeycomb, toast, & crackers
• he loves to chew on carrots, cucumber, toothbrushes, etc
• went through enormous pain to get 3 new teeth in. Now has 5 total-- 3 top and 2 bottom
• figured out how to sit up after being on his tummy
• moves all around the floor
• plunged into crawling. ya know, the face plants and such. BUT...he can go hand, knee, hand, knee before collapsing!!

go carson GO!

• overcame one of the worst diaper rashes I have ever seen. It burned off a layer of skin and kept him awake and crying almost 48 hours! Still have no idea what caused it
• learned to wave
• figured out how to move through the entire house in his walker
• lost some weight--he went down 2 pounds from his 6 month check up. is around 20 lbs
  
• can give out high-fives
• loves to go to the park and go down the slides and swing on the swings




• learned how much fun sniffing is. he scrunches his nose and does it til we laugh
• is a mama's boy. if he's feeling needy, we have to pry his arms off. still is ok with strangers though, he just prefers mom.
• last night he slept through the night for the FIRST time ever! from 8:30pm to 8:00am. it's amazing what a full tummy, no diaper rash and no teething can do!
• is finding his inner nerd. he doesn't want to just look like his daddy, he wants to act like him too!

How I love this boy. I can't imagine not being with him every day.

Virtue

To all past or present Young Women:

My dear sister-in-law Mindy suggested that we heed the call to complete the added value to the YW program, virtue. This 8th value was added almost a year ago and I think it's time for me to get it started. I love that Mindy reminded me of this. I welcome each of you to join in and finish this added value with me. It doesn't have to take a lot of your time. Little by little is all it will require.
Mindy included this quote in her "call" to us and I would like to also;

"I truly believe that one virtuous young woman or young man, led by the Spirit, can change the world, but in order to do so, we must return to virtue. We must engage in strict training. As the marathon runner, Juma Ikangaa said after winning the New York Marathon, "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare." Now is the time to prepare by exercising more self-disipline. Now is the time to prepare to become "more fit for the kingdom." Now is the time to set our course and focus on the finish. A return to virtue must begin individually in our hearts and in our homes."
--Elaine S. Dalton, YW General President.

If any of you haven't completed your Young Womanhood Regcognition, it's never too late. You can start now. Good luck, and I'll try and continue to throw out updates as I go along and encourage you to also!


Complete Virtue Requirements
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12426f5e8f9c09e9&mt=application%2Fpdf&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D844e8b4374%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12426f5e8f9c09e9%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g0fszftu0%26zw&sig=AHBy-hZNVUfMR2cQHOZvdUIrdCJEvj9aAA&pli=1

Pajama Fun

Lately it seems that all my pictures are of Carson in the morning, pajamas still on, hanging out on the bed! We've been busy taking trips to the park, going swimming, and this weekend, watching General Conference!

I love General Conference. It's a little more difficult to watch having Carson around. It hit me that in the next 20 years it might be a little hard to watch all 4 sessions. I'm grateful for a DVR so that I can pause and watch later. I'm grateful for the cable that brings it right to my home. I'm grateful for the Ensign months where conference is printed and I can read what I might have missed or forgotten. I think some of my most memorable testimony building moments have come from General Conference.

As a child I loved the fact that we were able to stay home from church, watch in our living room--usually in pajamas, and be with the family all day. Now I find that I still love all of those aspects that I loved as a child but I cherish more the words and teaching that I can recieve. There were some great talks at the 179th Semi-Annual conference. I loved the message from Elder Bednar on displaying love to our family members and what it can bring. Elder Hollands talk was powerful on the Book of Mormon and the testimony he bore of it. I enjoyed the message of the Holy Ghost from many speakers and felt edified after President Uctdorf spoke of God's Love. What a privilage we have to hear from our church leaders.